About a week before we left for New York on this last visit, we had dinner with friends at Stateside here in Seattle. I completely spaced on writing about the extraordinary meal we had until I was looking through images last eve, so I thought I would share this with you all today. It all started about a year ago when we were hosting a book signing at the Home store for cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan. A gentleman, Eric Johnson, came to the signing to see her. He was just about to open Stateside. They had known each other when Eric was a chef in Paris, and had kept up over the years. Time passed quickly and we had yet to dine at his new spot, just a few blocks from The Gainsborough.

From the Stateside website:
With strong culinary ties to both France and China, the fresh flavors of Vietnam make perfect sense to Chef/Owner Eric Johnson. Eric recently returned to the States after more than a decade working and living abroad in Paris, Shanghai and Hong Kong. With family roots in the Pacific Northwest, his goal was to open a casual restaurant in Seattle that reflects his culinary experience abroad. “Both geographically and culinarily, Vietnam is a good central point for all of my experiences. It’s the natural meeting point of French and Chinese food. I feel like Vietnamese food borrows some of the best aspects of both cuisines, the fresh herbs and the acidity. And, of course, Vietnam has its own spectacular dishes. So we’re going to concentrate on Vietnamese food borrowing a bit from the natural partners of French and Chinese cuisine.”

We were blown away by the combination of flavors and loved every bite. We decided to dine family style between the 4 of us as everything sounded so good on the menu, that way we were all able to try a variety of dishes, which I highly recommend. So good!

Each word of the book is so lovingly spoken and your voice exudes such warmth and kindness. You are so genuine with your readers. And so interested in teaching them how to love… Love art…. Love nature… Love small things… Love friends… Love family… And love life.

— Haley from New York

Ted’s ‘Style & Simplicity’ is absolutely Lovely (with a capital L)! It’s also charming, fun to read, and full of wonderful advice.

— Newell Turner, Editor in Chief at House Beautiful

Ted Kennedy Watson has a most refined sense of aesthetics…and he shares some of his best secrets, for which I am so grateful!

— Lisa Birnbach, author of The Official Preppy Handbook

Ted, and his namesake fine good emporiums Watson Kennedy are legendary in this town. What he does brilliantly is quality over trend, substance over vapid style.

— Kaye Wellman, author Eat, Shop, Seattle

If you’ve ever wanted to walk through a stylized photo in a magazine this shop is a phenomenal fix for that as the merchandising is crazy delicious to feast your eyes upon.

— Uncle Beefy at thebedlamofbeefy.com

I feel like a kid in a candy shop every time I walk in the door.

— Apartment Therapy

I ordered ‘Style & Simplicity’ and it was delivered to my home in Hermanus, South Africa. What a delightful book and inspiration!

— Marlien on Facebook

The Seattle tastemaker behind Watson Kennedy: a personally curated store with the absolute best gifts, treasures, home goods, and hand-selected music.

— Town & Country

#genius #book @watsonkennedy #brilliant #perfect #gift

— Howard Slatkin on Instagram

Truly a visual feast for the eyes and palate.Thank you for sharing your abundance of “everything good”.We customers are transported to shopping heaven while in your store(s) and website.

— Blog reader Kris

We’ve long been fans of Seattle retailer Ted Kennedy Watson and his first title certainly lives up to it’s stylish name. The lavish A to Z guide is bursting with tips on how to create a cozy, chic and inviting home.